A networking follow-up should arrive within 48 hours, name the exact moment you met ("the espresso-line rant about CRMs"), give something before asking anything, and end with a low-pressure next step or no ask at all. Here are four copy-paste templates: the day-after note, the useful link, the intro offer, and the months-later revival.
Send within 48 hours of meeting, while you are still a face and not a name tag. The only goals are to be remembered and to open a channel.
Subject: good to meet you at [event]
Hi [Name], good to meet you at [event] yesterday. Still thinking about your point on [the specific thing they said]; it reframed how I see [topic].
No agenda here, just glad we talked. I'll connect on LinkedIn too. If the [topic] conversation is ever worth continuing, I'm easy to find.
Send within a week, when you find something that maps to a problem they mentioned. Giving without asking is the fastest trust builder in networking.
Subject: the [thing] for your [problem]
Hi [Name], you mentioned wrestling with [the problem] when we talked at [event]. Came across this and thought of you: [link, with one line on why it is relevant].
No need to reply, hope it's useful. Good luck with [the thing they were working on].
Send when you know someone they should meet. Offering an introduction makes you a connector, which is the most valuable role in any network.
Subject: you two should probably meet
Hi [Name], you said you were looking for [the thing]. My friend [Other Name] does exactly that, and is genuinely good; we worked together on [context].
Want an intro? Two-line email, and no awkwardness if either of you passes.
Send when a real trigger appears: their news, a launch, a topic you discussed showing up in the wild. Acknowledge the gap in half a sentence and move on; no groveling.
Subject: from the [event] espresso line
Hi [Name], we met at [event] back in [month] and talked about [topic]. I just saw [their news: the launch, the new role, the post], congrats, it looks great.
It reminded me of that conversation. If you ever feel like comparing notes on [topic] over a call, I'd genuinely enjoy it. Either way, happy to see things going well.
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Within 48 hours. You are competing with the decay of memory, theirs and yours: the conversation details that make a follow-up feel personal evaporate within days. A short note while the event is fresh beats a polished one sent two weeks later.
Three beats: name the exact moment you met and something specific they said, give something if you have it (a link, an idea, an intro), and end with a low-pressure line like "easy to find if the conversation is worth continuing". Specific and short beats long and eager.
No, unless they explicitly asked about your services when you met. A pitch in the first follow-up retroactively turns the whole conversation into prospecting, and people feel it. Build the connection first; the business conversations come from people who trust you.
Use the channel that matches the depth: LinkedIn for light connections where you mostly want to stay visible, email when there is something of substance to say or share. A good pattern is both: connect on LinkedIn the same day, and send email when you have a real reason.
Wait for a genuine trigger, like their launch, new role, or a post they wrote, then lead with it: "saw the news, congrats, it reminded me of our conversation about X." Acknowledge the gap in half a sentence at most. The trigger makes the timing feel natural instead of random.
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